I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Emergence Of A New Global Caste System

If Shylock was alive today, I am sure he would have floated a public stock offering and would have been amongst the richest in the world. Forbes magazine would have certainly included his name in the list of the top 50 billionaires, and The Economist would have included his name among the 15 most powerful people in the world.

Probably Shylock was born in wrong times. Profit was not as respected a word as it is today. Also, Shakespeare was no Adam Smith. He wrote to reach people, and in a way entertain them. What he wrote reflected the times that he was living in. Adam Smith was no creative writer, and so it is not fair to compare him with Shakespeare’s greatness. But Adam Smith certainly sowed the seeds of greed with a lot of caveat (which unfortunately is never talked about by the modern day Shylocks), and future generations not only realized the power of markets that he so vociferously advocated but went a step ahead by virtually making a killing out of it.

In a world where you are known by how much money you make, and it doesn’t matter whether you made it by hook or by crook, the race to join the new emerging class of the bold and beautiful — these are the new brahmins of the evolving global caste system – has crossed all barriers. It doesn’t matter which race you belong to or which religion you practice or which country you come from, the only qualification you need is the tag that says you are rich enough.Continues >>